Apparatus for manufacturing insulation.



E. HAEFEL Y. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING INSULATION.

APPUCATION FILED MAY 2?. 192.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

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E HAEFELY.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING INSULATION.

APPLlCATlQN HLED PflAYZT, 1912.

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ATTORNEY 'JNETE stares @ATEET UEFKCE,

EMIL HA EFELY, OF BASEL, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR T WESTINGHQUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A GORBORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

fAPPABATUS FOR MANUFACTURING INSULATION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Emu, HAEFELY, a.

. a tubular insulating body.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine of the class above indicated that shall be relatively simple in construction and adapted to produce bodies of varying dimensions.

According-to my present invention, I provide a machine which is adapted to continucusly coat a strip of insulating fabric, rapidly dry the coating on the surface and finally soften the coating by the applicationof considerable heat just as it passes upon the, mandrel on which the tubular body is produced. This apparatus has the advantage of driving off the solvent ma-- terial by evaporation previous to the application of the final heat at the time the fabric is wound upon the mandrel and is, in this respect, an improvement over the apparatus shown and described in my previous Patent No. 858,386. issued to my assignce, the i'i estinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Con'ipany, July 2, 19oF,

l-"urthermrn*e. my invention combines, in a single machine, means for coating the pa er or other fabric and means for manufactoring tubular bodies.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings an elevation, with certain of the parts sinmn in section, of a machine constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are detailviews. and Figs. 5 and 6 are, respectively, a plan view and a front elevation of that portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1 in which the tubular insulating bodies are finally produced.

Referring to the drawings, the machine here shown comprises a coating section having abed l, and pedestals 2 and 3. and a tube-making section having posts or pedes tals at and 5.

The coating-section is provided with a 1 )lane oblirue surface or table G havin v a Specification of Letters Patent,- I Application filed may 27, 1912.

'- are secured to the pedestal 3.

block 19 is forced into engagement with one Patented Feb. 15, 1916. Serial No. 700,026. 2

guide rolls 7 and 8 rotatively supported at its respective ends, heating surfaces 9 and 10 and a plurality of guide rolls 11 to 16; inclusive, all of which are mounted transversely of the bed 1 and cooperate to stretch the fabric over the table 6 and the heating surfaces 9 and 10 without permitting it to be drawn over sharp corners. I

A supply roll 17 of paper or other suit' able fabric is mounted in bearings 18 which A bearing end of a shaft 20 upon which the roll 17 is mounted by means of an adjustable weight and its supporting lever 21. Heat is supplied to the heating surfaces 9 and 10 by means of gas flames which are fed with fuel through supply pipes 23 and 24. Since the heating surfaces and attachments are similar and maybe identical, only the surface 10 and its attachments will be, described in detail. The heating surface itself,over which the paper-is passed, is preferably formed'of sheet metal which is curved or bent as shown in Fig. 1. i The area below the heating surface 10 is'partially inclosed by plates 25 having flanges 26 to form a channel 27 in which a transverse section of perforated gas pipe 28, constituting the burner, is disposed.

The guide roll 16 is rotatively supported in notches 29 which are provided in a pair of uprights 30 located at one end of the bed 1. The arrangement of parts is such that the position of the roll may readily'be adjusted t5) suit the size of the mandrel on which the fabric is wound.

The tube-making section which is shown in end elevation in Fig. 1 and is illustrated The combined pressure member and heating apparatus comprises a frame or carriage- 35 hav ng end pro ect1ons or arms 36 and 37, the arms 36 being located at the respective sides of the pedestal e and the arms 37 being correspondingly located with reference to the pedestal Weights 38 and 39 are connected to the arms 36 and 37 by ropes or chains l0 and 4:1 which extend over pulleys l2 and 43 and tend to force the frame or -arriage 35 in an upward direction. By this means. a pressure plate ell, which forms a part-of the frame or carriage, is forced into engagement with the surface of the mandrel or cylinder 31. The

degree of pressure. between these members is determined by a strap i5 which is yieldingly connected to the frame or carriage and a windlass 46. 4

The frame or carriage is provided with a downwardl extending cyl indrical projection. l? which is centrally located and is closed at its lower end except for a small hole l8 tln'ongh which a rod 49 extends, a piston or head 50 is secured to the upper end. of the rod ll) and operates within the member -lT against the n'essure of a spring 51. The strap 45 is co mected to the lower end of the rod i9 and is wrapped around the gathering surfaceof the wintllass 48.

The weights 38 and 39 ,are'sutliciently heavy to exert an upward'pressure of the frame or carriage 35 considerably in excess of that which is required in the operation of the machine and, consequently, the pres sure may readily be adjusted to any desired value by turning the adjusting worm 52 of the Windlass by means of a hand wheel 52.

The carriage is provided with a perforated pipe 53 which constitutes a burner, fuel bein so mlied to the burner throu h su )lv pipes 54: and 55,having flexiblehose sections 56 and 57 in order to permit of free adjustment of the carriage. The perforations in the pipe are at the top, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings so that the gas flames play directly upon the under surfaoeof the pressure plate 4.4. The plate 44 is sapported by latcrally perforated side bars or rails 58, and the carriage provioed with flanged plates 5!) between which the side bars or rails are supported upon a plurality of vertical rods (it). The rods 0 project upwardly through holes (31 in a channel beam (32., which contitutes the body of the carriage, and are provided with enlargements at their lower ends which operate in cylinders 63. The cylinders (3?) preferably consist of short pipe s ctions which are internally threaded at their lower ends to receive adjusting nuts ()4, springs 5 being interposed between the nuts (34 and the enlargements or heads of the plungers 60.

When the tubular insulating body is com plc'ted, as hereinafter pointed out, it may be cut into tubular members of shorter lengths by using the mandrel as the rotating member of a lathe. l have accordingly provided transverse strips or bars 66 which are supported upon the pedestals l and 5 by means over the drying surfaces.

of hooks 67, and longitudinal. beams or rods 68 which constitute a rest for a hand tool. After the tubular body has been subdivided, it may be removed from the mandrel byany suitable means. y

A gear wheel 69 is secured to one end of the mandrel shaft and is ope ative'ly con-- nected to the motor 32 by means of a pinion 70. av countershaft 71, gear wheels 72 and T3, a countershaft 74, a wormwheel 75 and. a worm 76 which is mounted on the motor shaft. The gears 69 and 70 may be. interchanged in position in order to drive the mandrel at a relatively high speed, for the purpose of subdividing the completed tubular body.

The operation of the machine is fol lows: Assuming that a roll of paper, or other fabric, of which a tubular body is to be constructed, is mounted in the bearings 18, the fabric is fed over guide roll 8, table 6, roll 7, dryingsurface 9, guide rolls 11, 12, and 13, drying surface 10, and guide rolls 1%, 15 and 16 to the mandrel or cylinder 31. The motor 32. is operated to slowly drive the mandrel or cylinder 31 and to draw the paper, or other fabric,.through the rolls and As the paper passes slowly over the table 6, it is coated with shellac orvarnish, either manually or otherwise, and sufficient heat is applied. to

the drying surface 9 to drive as the solvent material and leave a coating of insulating gum on the surface. The drying surface 10 completely hardens the coatingand drives off all traces of moisture.- The coated paper is then guided over rolls 15 and 16 to the mandiz. 0r cylinder 31. The pressure plate 44, which is maintained at a relatively high temperature, is forced into engagement with the paper or stripof fabric-just it is wound upon the mandrel. The heat of the surface is sutficiently great to soften the gum with which one surface of the paper is coated, and thuscause the layers of the fabric to adhere closely to form a very hard and compact tubular body of insulatingmaterial.

It will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the final product is very much improved by first driving off the moisture instead of attempting to exclude the moisture and soften the gum by means of a single application of heat.

The entire operation can be cared for by a single attendant and, furthermore. handling the fabric after it is coated and before it is made into the tubular body is obviated.

Structural. modifications may, of course, be effected within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

' 1. Apparatus for manufacturing tubular bodies comprising a coating surface. a plurality of spaced drying surfaces, a f ing mandrel and means for simultan applying relatively high heat, and pressure to a strip of fabric as it is Wound upon the forming mandrel.

" ingly forcing 2. Amachine for manufacturing tubular bodies comprising a coating table, means for guiding a stripof fabric over the table, a plurality of drying surfaces, guiding the fabric over the drying surfaces in succession, a'forming mandrel,- means for rotating ,the forming mandrel and means for exerting a yielding pressure on the convolutions of fabric as they are Wound upon the mandrel.

3. A machine for manufacturing tubular bodies comprising a coating table, means for guiding a strip'of fabric over the table, a plurality of drying surfaces, means for guiding the fabric over the drying surfaces in succession, a forming. mandrel, means forrotating the forming mandrel, a carriage comprising a pressure plate, means. for applying heat the pressure plate toward the forming mandrel.

4. A machine for manufacturing tubular bodies comprising a coating table,means for guiding a strip of fabric over the table, a plurality. of drying surfaces, means for guiding the fabric over thedrying surfa'ces in succession, a form ng mandrel,

means for rotating the forming mandrel,

and a carriage comprising a yieldingly supported pressure plate, means for applying heat thereto, means for forcing the carriage as a whole toward the forming mandrel and adjustable means for restraining the lastnamed means.

5. A machine for manufacturing tubular bodies comprising acoating table, means for guiding astrip offabric over the table, a plurality of drying'surfaces, means, for guiding the fabric over-the dryingsurfaces in success1on,"a forming mandrel, means for rotating the forming mandrel, 'a carriage comprising a beam extending longitudinally of the forming mandrel, a pressure plate yieldingly supported on the carriage, heat-- ing apparatus adapted to heat the pressure plate, means for forcing the carriageas a whole toward the forming mandrel and yielding means for restra ning the forces exerted by the last-namedmeans, whereby the pressure betweenthe-plate and the-form ing mandrel maybe adjusted as desired.

6. A tube machine comprising a forming mandrel, a carriage near the surface and parallel to the axis'of the forming mandrel, means for forcing the carriage toward the mandrel, a strap or cord yieldingly connected to the carriage and tending to sepameans for thereto and means for yield tracting means,

rate the carriage from the mandrel and means for adjusting the tension of thestrap or cord.

7. A' machine for manufacturing tubular bodies comprising a rotatively supported forming mandrel, a carriage comprisinga yieldingly supported pressure plate'extending longitudinally of the mandrel, apparatus for supplying heat to the pressure plate, means tending to force the'carriage. 'towardhe mandrel, means for yieldingly restraining the carriage, and means for adjusting said restraining means.

8." A- machine for manufacturing tubular bodies comprising a rotatively' supported forming mandrel, a carriage comprising a yielding supporting pressure plate extending longitudinally of the mandrel, apparatus for supplying heat to the pressure plate,

means tending to forcethe carriage toward the mandreland means for yieldingly restraining the carriage, said means comprising a spring-connected tension strap or .cord, a gathering reel therefor and means for adjusting the gathering reel to Vary the tension of the strap or cord.;

9. A machine for manufacturing tubular...

bodies comprising a rotatively. supported mandrel, a drivingmotor therefor, a floating carriage located near the surface and parallel to the axis-of the mandrel, Weights tending to force the carriage as a whole towardfthe mandrel, retracting means for yieldingly opposing the action of the Weights, and means for adjusting said reand a gathering reel for the strap or cord,

and an adjusting Worm for fixing the position of the gathering-reel, .Whereb the act-ion of the weights may be oppose to a greater or less degree.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed myname this second day of May,

1912. .7 EMIL HAEFELY.

. \Vitnesses:

GEO. IGirFoRD, ARNOLD ZUBER.

Correction in Letters Patent No.1,] 715091 It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,171,609, granted February 15, i

1916, upon the application of Emil Haefelyy of Basel, Switzerlend, for an improvementin Apparatus for Manufacturing Insulation, an error appears in the printed speeification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 7 7 claim 8, for the words yielding supporting reed yieldingly suppmted; and that the said Letters Patent should be read virith this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the eese in the Patent Office.

Y Signed and sealed this iZlst'dey of March, A; D., 1916.

[SEAL] J. T. NEWTON,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

